


Weirder Things

by ArtemisGarden



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, seriously, smol fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23314297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisGarden/pseuds/ArtemisGarden
Summary: Darcy’s convinced the only thing Sergeant Barnes is going to murder is cuddle time.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis, Pre-James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis - Relationship
Comments: 58
Kudos: 376





	1. Chapter 1

It’s either the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning, James isn’t really sure anymore, when he hears the light thumping from the hallway. He’s positioned in the corner chair in the common living room, Banner’s favorite chair, so he can see the elevator, the kitchen, and the hallway leading to the rooms. The TV is on low and the lights are dim.

He isn’t really surprised when Darcy Lewis rounds the corner (bumping off of it in the process) and heads for the kitchen.

She’s either coming off a science “bender” or preparing for one. She beelines for the coffee maker (slamming a hip against the table hard enough that he winces) and he figures it must be the latter. Stark’s fancy robotic coffee maker prepares her two giant mugs quickly and James’s mouth quirks up as he watches her pet the machine before grabbing a cup and gulping a few mouthfuls.

She finally notices him sitting there watching, gives him a sleepy wink, and raises a mug, before she heads back down the hallway, bumping into the walls less this time.

* * *

Three weeks later he’s back in the living room, it’s not as late, and Steve has stolen the corner chair so James is stretched out on the couch.

Both he and Steve can hear Darcy’s muttering as she comes down the hallway and they look up when she enters.

This time, she spots him right away and heads for his couch instead of the kitchen. His jaw goes a little slack as she climbs over the back of the couch and lets herself roll down the front. She pushes lightly at his side until he scoots over so she’s wedged between him and the cushions, gives a happy little sigh, and starts making little wheezy snores.

James looks over at Steve, who looks even more surprised than he does, if that’s even possible.

“Er. So how long have you been this comfortable Buck?”

_‘James’,_ he doesn’t bother to correct anymore _._

“I wasn’t aware that we were. I think we’ve watched a few movies and she’s loaned me some books but…” He lets the sentence trail off and looks down at the sleeping woman.

“Didn’t she get the briefing?”

“Of course she got it, everyone got the briefing. Shortstack generally has no discernible sense of self-preservation.” Stark cuts Steve off before he has time to open his mouth to James’s question. He’s leaning against the doorway to the kitchen and James frowns that he didn’t even notice Stark's entrance.

Steve opens his mouth again, but this time is cut off by Dr. Foster who’s poked her head around the corner. “It’s not a lack of self-preservation. She just isn’t scared of him. Plus weren’t you listening to her tirade for the last two hours?”

Stark shrugs and moves away from the door to grab one of his weird smoothies from the fridge. “Everything tends to blur together after the 51-hour mark.”

Foster snorts. “Darcy’s convinced the only thing Sergeant Barnes is going to murder is cuddle time.”

Steve makes a weird choking noise and Stark lets out a quick bark of laughter. James looks down at the woman next to him who is now moving again. Her head rises slowly and she glares balefully at the Doc and Stark.

“Too much noise. Scientist bedtime. Go.” She says in a rasping voice before letting her head drop back down onto his flesh arm.

Foster doesn’t appear fazed in the least as she withdraws her head back around the corner and shuffles off. Stark stays for a minute, finishing his smoothie and watching them, before he finally shrugs and heads for the elevator.

When James finally returns his attention to the TV he can see Steve sketching away out of the corner of his eye.

Well.

Weirder things have happened.

To him even.


	2. Chapter 2

This is another weird thing that is currently happening to him, James thinks as he squints at the innocuous package sitting in front of his door at five in the morning.

After a second Steve's head pops over his shoulder to see what the holdup is and he too squints at the package.

"Well," he says nudging James in the shoulder, "I doubt JARVIS would just let it sit there if it was going to explode."

James isn't sure if Stark programed JARVIS with emotions but the AI sounds almost offended as he..it...he comments, "I most certainly would not. It is a gift from Miss Lewis for Sergeant Barnes."

There's another few seconds of looking at the package before Steve nudges him again and James leans over to pick up the package, backing up into the apartment, and shutting the door.

"Should I open it?"

Steve huffs at him because James knows that's kind of a stupid question and they both head into the kitchen, where James sits the package on the kitchen counter before pulling away the paper. There are a two different electronic devices sitting inside with a note on top.

James flicks the paper open and scans the loopy handwriting inside.

_Thought these might be helpful for you to catch up. Also might be an apology for sleeping on you the other night. Steve knows how to use them._

_-Darcy_

James frowns.

He didn't really need an apology from her.

Especially since he didn't really mind. Not that he's going to say anything to Steve who has taken possession of the note and is reading it over a smirk twitching at the edge of his lips. James ignores him to pick up the smaller device, one he recognizes as a StarkPlayer, and powers it on.

He's totally unsurprised to find that it's pre-loaded with several playlists. About 300 songs total with room for so much more. The next one is a StarkReader and is also pre-loaded with books, biographies, history, and textbooks. He remembers Steve telling him about Darcy setting him up with a similar device shortly after she and Jane moved into the Tower, but if he remembers correctly Steve's reader didn't have an additional shelf labelled "Darcy's Favorites: Fiction" with another 50 books.

That draws a little smile from him and he snatches the music player back from Steve, stalks into his room where he gently sets both on his desk, and heads back to the kitchen.

"Still nothing you wanna tell me?" Steve quips as they head back out the door and down to the gym.

"Only to shut-up and mind your own business, Punk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the second addition to this small fic! As of now I don't have plans for a 3rd chapter even though it seems kind of like a cliff hanger at the end. Thanks for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually going to be part of a bigger multi-chapter fic, but then I realized a different ship would work better so I decided to make this a stand-alone. Thanks for reading <3


End file.
